The only thing that's changed from the review samples that were sent out is the GPU Tweak software. The option to 'Burn' (as they put it) your new OC to the cards BIOS is now omitted for the time being, although not sure why.

Not really a problem though as GPU Tweak remembers your last OC profile and can be set to load on startup.

Is it just me that thinks triple-slot cards should be penalised a bit? I know the cooling performance is there, and they look good, but there's also the problem that they take up half your motherboard's slots (SR-2 owners, no need to brag - we know it's only a third for you guys). It also hampers SLI connectivity, as with cards like these, you'd want a slot free between the cards minimum, so unless you have a motherboard with that sort of spacing, you're somewhat out of luck.

I know some may see this as me being picky, but a quick glance at Bit-Tech's Buyer's Guide gives me a recommended P67 and Z68 motherboard (the MSI P67A-GD53 and the Asus Maximus IV Gene-Z), the former of which couldn't give any space between two of these cards, and the latter of which couldn't even fit two of these cards. So it is a problem for some top-notch motherboards.

Why bother buy it when the MSI Lightning XE comes with 3gb. For a premium premium product, it seems a huge mistake to not give it 3gb when people using this for gaming will be cranking the AA and run 2560 screens.

It's substantially more expensive than an MSI lightning XE as well, which is already very expensive. Pretty stupid card to be honest.

Originally Posted by AuttiWhy bother buy it when the MSI Lightning XE comes with 3gb. For a premium premium product, it seems a huge mistake to not give it 3gb when people using this for gaming will be cranking the AA and run 2560 screens.

It's substantially more expensive than an MSI lightning XE as well, which is already very expensive. Pretty stupid card to be honest.

Erm, the MSI Lightning XE is £499 where I can find it. A £400 one would indeed be tasty.

It's too bad that your Value rating of this videocard belies your comments in the article.
"As such, the Asus more than justifies its price as a fast card that will last for ages. It's too large to fit inside many cases, but so much performance at such a low noise level makes it a very desirable card." And then you give it only a Value Score of 23/30?
Which is it? You can't have it both ways and still maintain your supposed journalistic neutrality and also the integrity of your review.

Originally Posted by kzinti1It's too bad that your Value rating of this videocard belies your comments in the article.
"As such, the Asus more than justifies its price as a fast card that will last for ages. It's too large to fit inside many cases, but so much performance at such a low noise level makes it a very desirable card." And then you give it only a Value Score of 23/30?
Which is it? You can't have it both ways and still maintain your supposed journalistic neutrality and also the integrity of your review.

The card justifies its price premium over a bog-standard GTX 580 card, but is it the best buy for everyone? Probably not.

I think the conclusion and scores make it clear enough that if you're looking for a top-end, single-GPU card this card is excellent, but if you're just looking for a graphics card this should merely be on your short-list.

I noticed that the MSI 580GTX wasn't in the graphs, I pulled its review to check where it was and when comparing to this one, no sign of it.

Back on topic: Powerful and great engineering in there and a good value for the graphics it is! Normally, this kind of editions boosts price towards 500 but this one is tickling the sweet spot! I've only 2 nudges to it, the triple slot (it's necessary alright but it will be heavy and look cramped) and the fact that it has a custom pcb which means no water block for it which is a shame.

sorry for the n00b question but with the card already running cool and quiet at 816 ( 920MHz with OC ) what would be the gain with water cooling? realistically with a good 580 what frequencies could you reach with water cooling? would they be significantly higher than this card??

Originally Posted by mediapcAddictsorry for the n00b question but with the card already running cool and quiet at 816 ( 920MHz with OC ) what would be the gain with water cooling? realistically with a good 580 what frequencies could you reach with water cooling? would they be significantly higher than this card??

It wouldn't be the case of a higher overclock rather a case of even lower temperatures and even quieter operating sounds.